Abstract
The immense contribution of physical assets reliability and their related maintenance strategies has taken central stage in various asset intensive enterprises. In a lot of ways, the way physical assets are maintained and their ensuing reliability carry a noteworthy bearing on the processes of businesses, and hence, their competitiveness and profitability in the product market. Presently, it is no longer time for strengthening the functional divide of an organization, but a business focused approach is required in formulating operational strategies, that galvanizes key functional strategies that cut across strategic functions such as asset maintenance, finance, logistics and manufacturing.
This research study developed a strategic physical asset maintenance model that allows asset intensive businesses to increase their physical assets’ reliability performance through application of a business focused maintenance model. The reliability improvement maintenance model was developed and honed based on the gaps that the prevailing maintenance strategies that are widely applied within the South African manufacturing industries such as Total Productive Maintenance (TPM), Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM) and World Class Manufacturing Maintenance System (WCMMS) are leaving. The gaps that were identified encompassed: (a) lack of application of Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) to drive towards acquisition of perfect maintenance information, (b) absence of formulation systems for optimized maintenance organizational structures to aid up-surging of reliability performance of physical assets, (c) unavailability of a purposed reliability improvement stratum premised on proactive maintenance, (d) absence of cost efficient maintenance resources allocation through assets criticality optimization, (e) unavailability of a planned reliability sustaining model based on perfect, limited and imperfect maintenance actions, (f) inability to unearth failure causes and provide feedback through the proactive maintenance loop to totally root out failure causes, and (g) lack of inclusion of interactive technology and innovation management as a way to heighten assets reliability.
Various maintenance strategies were studied to develop an effective maintenance management model that will assist businesses in their business strategic thrusts. The Integrated and Business Focused Maintenance System [IBFMS] - Stratified model was viewed as the most appropriate maintenance strategic model, as its pursuit is on integrating various maintenance techniques that are feasible and effectual in improving the physical assets reliability and hence, the overall business performance. The components of IBFMS Stratified model that were identified as effectual in reliability amelioration comprised of:
(a) Pursuit of proactive maintenance where 87% of survey participants confirmed it as effective
(b) CMMS drive to acquire perfect maintenance information whereby 68% of survey respondents signified the relevance of CMMS to acquire perfect information useful for reliability improvement
(c) Strategic maintenance organizational formulation to support maintenance activities and whereby 81% of survey participants confirmed as effective in assets reliability increase...
D.Phil. (Engineering Management)